The 17th century audience was better than modern audience members at listening to Shakespeare's complex language because:
Shakespeare used the technique of spoken decor to keep the audience engaged.
Explanation:
The audience of 17th century were used to listening and had an ear for language/rhetorical imagery/emotionally stimulating phrases. They used poetry to communicate information and develop characterization as well as create atmosphere, mood and milieu in a theater that used little or no scenery. This technique is called spoken decor, which challenges audience members to use their imaginations while watching and listening to the play.
Shakespeare was skillful at grabbing the attention of the audience by starting his plays with an exciting or shocking event like the shipwreck in The Tempest, the argument between the Capulets and the Montagues in Romeo and Juliet, or the appearance of the ghost in Hamlet.
